I'm Not Proud of This
by dyingonaprayer
Summary: Spencer Reid runs into some old friends from his past.


**A/N Set early in season six of Criminal Minds and prior to the White Collar season three finale**

**I've always wanted to do this but I never really had any ideas, but here goes! Enjoy. **

It's not my fault, you know. How else is a ten year kid supposed to get money is Las Vegas? It's not something I'm proud of. I met Mozzie hustling some thirteen year olds in cards. I mean, they had money to blow. It's not like I was robbing the poor.

Mozzie happened to be in the park when was heading off with their money, my grand total being fifty dollars. He walked up to me, and I know it's dangerous to talk to strangers, but I was a gullible kid with no parents and Mozzie looked completely non-threating.

"Hey kid. Nice hustle."

I smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"How would you like to make some serious cash?"

And that was how I got caught up in the criminal world. Mozzie introduced me to another to another kid named Neal. Neal was fourteen, and also a con. I remember the first time we met (as I do everything) perfectly.

"Hey Neal." Mozzie said as we entered the old ware house. "This is Reid."

"Reid?" Neal said. "That's a weird name."

"It's my last name." I replied.

Neal flashed a bright white smile. "So where are your parents?"

"You first." I say.

"My dad is dead and I ran away." He replies. "Now you."

"My dad left and my mom is sick."

"Sorry." Neal said sincerely. "Will she be okay."

"It's complicated."

Neal and I spent a lot of time together as kids, being criminals together. We pulled cons, and even though we were just kids we were good at it. One time, we broke into an art museum and stole a painting that was worth fifty million dollars.

Neal and I pretended to get in fight and while the security attempted to call our families we snuck out and I put the painting in my backpack (for such a valuable painting, it was small) while Neal took care of the security. He pulled the fire alarm so that nobody could hear the alarm set off by the painting and took out the security cameras from the inside. Then we snuck back in just as the guards came to evacuate us.

We were off the scene before any one even knew it was missing.

Six years later, Neal and Mozzie had to skip town, and I stayed behind with my mother.

"If your ever close by, kid…"

"I'll look you up."

And then, when I turned twenty one I joined the F.B.I. and became what Mozzie called a suit. I caught murderers, not cons. I knew that some cons didn't really hurt anybody, I didn't think they were horrible people. But murderers… they took the lives of innocent people.

Seven years later the White Collar crime unit called. A con had started killing his marks.

Now imagine my surprise when I find that Neal Caffrey is an FBI consultant on a tracking anklet.

When we arrived in New York, I walked up to his desk.

"Neal Caffrey… it is still Neal right?" I said with a smile.

"Reid. Spencer Reid. You're a suit?"

"I catch killers."

"Nobel work. You know I hate guns."

"How'd you get caught?"

"Forging bonds."

"And how's Moz. ?"

"Good. He'd love to see you. Stop by the apartment after work."

I nodded before we both headed towards the briefing.

Later that night, I stopped by the address Neal had given me. It was no surprise he was living a pretty lavish life, even on an FBI consultants pay.

It was good to see them again. We hadn't kept in touch since Vegas.

"I still can't believe you went to the dark side. Neal's bad enough." Mozzie complained.

"Come on Moz, I catch killers. People who hurt innocent people."

Mozzie smiled. "Well that, I can live with."

"So, your stab wound still bothering you?" Neal asked, referring to a wound I had sustained just before they left.

"Nope. I've had worse than that now."

Mozzie frowned. "Like what?"

I laughed. "Kidnapped, drugged, shot, poisoned… you name it it's happened to me."

"Jeeze kid." Neal says.

"Whatever." I say. "How about you?"

Neal smiled. "I haven't been shot or poisoned."

"I've been shot." Mozzie says.

"The drug you were given…." I ask, now worried. "What was it?"

"A sedative."

I let out a sigh of relief. Neal's a good person. He doesn't deserve an addiction.

"How's your mom?"

"She's in a sanitarium, back in Vegas."

Mozzie nods. "That's good kid. You got her with people who can help her."

"Is uh… Kate?" I ask.

Neal is silent for a moment. "Dead."

"I'm sorry." I say.

"It was a while ago."

"I never heard."

We're all silent, thinking of Kate.

"Reid… I wasn't gonna ask this but why did you care about the drugs?" Neal asks.

I shift uncomfortably. "The drugs that I was given… they were fairly addictive."

Neal nods. "I see."

Mozzie looks at me sadly. "Listen kid, we have a treasure. Were gonna run away. If you wanna…"

"I'm happy here, Moz. I have a family now."

Mozzie nodded. "I understand kid."

"You guys, you'll always be my first true family. But… I can't just leave my team."

Neal smiles. "We know."

We hear someone coming up the steps. Agent Burke, Neal's handler, came in.

I stood quickly. "I should go."

Mozzie stops me. "Kid."

"Yeah?"

"Try to keep in touch, this time."

I smile. "Alright Moz." I look towards Neal. "Later man."

"Stay out of trouble, Reid."

As I walk down the stairs, I hear agent Burke say "Him? Really? The kid?"

I smile. I guess I'll never get rid of that nickname.


End file.
